By LAURA WITSENHAUSEN Associate Editor Steve Zettler and Cordelia Frances Biddle are going to have to take a break from their usual conversation when they fly from Philadelphia to L.A. to do a book signing at Village Books. The married mystery writers often have conversations like ‘We could always get rid of the body later on’ that may alarm their seatmates. ”Plotting the murders of some of their characters is just part of the job. And the couple, who write under the pen name Nero Blanc, often find themselves talking about their protagonists, New England crossword editor Belle Graham and her husband P.I. Rosco Polycrates, and their latest ‘whodunit’ from morning to night. ”The former Palisadians will speak about their new Belle Graham crossword mystery ‘Anatomy of a Crossword,’ as well as what it’s like to write together, on Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore. ”Their mystery series not only revolves around a crossword editor, but incorporates crossword puzzles in each book, written by Zettler, that play a part in the solution of the mystery. ”In the book, the sixth in their series, Graham now a famous crossword editor and amateur sleuth, becomes the subject of a TV pilot. While acting as a consultant on the set in Hollywood, she finds herself smack in the middle of another mystery. ”The book, set in L.A., features references to Pacific Palisades, where the couple got to know the neighborhood while on their daily walks with their dog, Nina. ”The couple met in an acting class in New York City, where they also worked in theater and television. They moved to L.A. in 1988 for Zettler to pursue his acting career, settling in the Highlands. Biddle had already started writing, mostly historical fiction (‘Beneath the Wind,’ and ‘Murder at San Simeon’), and Zettler saw how much fun she was having and began writing international thrillers (‘The Second Man’ and ‘Double Identity’). The couple moved from the Palisades to Philadelphia, their hometown, in 1993. ”’The difficulty with being a writer is that it’s a solitary life. We were going into our own offices in our home and only having lunch together,’ Biddle said. Since the two had enjoyed collaborating as actors, they began looking for an opportunity to write together, trying to decide what kind of book would be fun to write. ” The crossword mystery idea came about when Cordelia was working on the New York Times crossword puzzle. ‘I was so incensed at the clues, I threw down the pen and said, ‘Somebody should kill this guy.’ Steve said, ‘Why don’t we kill off a crossword editor?” ”They wrote their first book, published in 1999 by Penguin-Putnam, and their editor requested a series. In their latest book, a screenwriter gets murdered. Steve said, ‘I had fun writing the director and producer saying, ‘So what if the writer is dead? We have the script.” ”When asked how they write together, Cordelia quipped, ‘You mean without killing each other? ”’We sit down and we go through the whole outline of the book, moment by moment.’ They each work separately on a chapter and then edit each other’s work. ”’He’ll have an idea and I’ll bump it up to the next level, and vice versa,’ Cordelia said. ‘We have different styles, I’ll labor over one word or a sense of smell. Steve is much more hard-hitting, get to the plot, and move it along. He has a sneaky mind and is able to figure out sneaky situations.’ ”Steve added, ‘Our acting background is so collaborative. We’re used to taking direction from a director, it lessens your ego.’ ”The two continue to work on their individual books. In addition, they write holiday books that are short stories in the crossword mystery format. ”They find that crosswords and mysteries are a good match. ‘People who love doing crossword puzzles are wired to look for word clues,’ Steve said. ‘And people who like mystery books are people who want to figure things out.’ ”More information and original crosswords are available on www.crosswordmysteries.com.
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